Risk Binge, U.S. Pressures China, Bankers Not to Blame: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Happy Friday, Asia. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to take you through to the weekend:

• A rising appetite for risk is stretching valuations and creating vulnerabilities in the U.S. financial system, according to the Fed
• The Biden administration is likely to maintain pressure on China by preserving limits on U.S. investments in certain Chinese companies
• Economic inequality isn’t caused by central banks, and governments must take a lead in tackling income and wealth gaps, the BIS says
• The IMF sees strong economic arguments for removing barriers to vaccine production and distribution, while cautioning that a waiver on intellectual-property protections must be accompanied by other steps
• Taiwan won’t be able to fight the currency’s appreciation forcefully if increasingly profitable firms continue to attract investors to the local dollar, a central bank board member said in a rare interview
• The Bank of England expects the biggest surge in household spending since Thatcher was prime minister to power an economic rebound
• Norway’s central bank says it’s on track to begin the first interest-rate tightening cycle in the advanced world since Covid-19 struck
• The Brazilian real rose after the central bank lifted its key rate 75 basis points and pledged another hike of the same size next month
• As the U.S. job market comes roaring back, there’s a growing debate about whether there are enough workers to power economic growth
• About 8,300 miles east of Wall Street sits what was once the global financial industry’s back office. This cluster of towers housed thousands of employees in critical roles. Now buildings are empty
• Consumers whose savings jumped during the pandemic might be deterred from splashing out now if a 19th-century theory holds true

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